ReedPOP’s Youth-Oriented ComplexCon Gains Traction

Hil Anderson

,
Senior Editor

November 9, 2018

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LONG BEACH, Calif. – ReedPOP’s outreach to the coveted youth market took a step forward with another successful edition of ComplexCon, a hybrid event designed to bring consumer brands together with ultimate consumers.

The third annual ComplexCon filled the Long Beach Convention Center with a dizzying lineup of the latest in “street” music, art and fashion, all of which were aimed at capturing the elusive attention of the teenagers and young adults who made up the bulk of the attendees.

ReedPOP told Trade Show Executive that this year’s show, held on the weekend of Nov. 4-5, drew 60,000 visitors with its ample array of speakers and musical acts. There were 160 consumer brands represented on the exhibit floor, which covered around 95,000 net square feet, along with an army of unique food vendors occupying the “First We Feast Lagoon” section of the show.

The exhibitors and sponsors included up-and-coming clothing designers and artists along with some well-established brands including Cadillac, McDonald’s and Urban Outfitters. Complex Networks, a pop-culture media company bills itself as a “community of creators and curators.” Complex Networks, ReedPOP’s partner in the show, is owned by Verizon and Hearst.

The show also featured a large contingent from the athletic footwear sector; PUMA, in fact, was back again as the show’s Official Footwear Sponsor.

Sneakers were a key ingredient of ComplexCon. As the shoe of choice of young consumers, they were in the spotlight on the exhibit floor. Artist Takashi Murakami, an official host of the show since its launch in 2016, organized “Sneakers for Breakfast,” where six prominent footwear designers were challenged to create a no-holds-barred art installation of imaginative shoe designs.

Art and an agenda of celebrity focused panel discussions were the headliners of ComplexCon during the day. The evening gave way to a series of concerts, primarily of the hip-hop genre.